Tuesday, November 20, 2012

For the second straight year, Wilderness Volunteers spent a week clearing trails in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest - this time in the scenic Dolly Sods Wilderness. The trip was a success, as we maintained several miles of trail and rehabilitated half-a-dozen campsites (amidst glorious fall foliage!). Needless to say, the US Forest Service is eager to see us return in 2013.

And so are our volunteers, especially this one, who has found inspiration in WV service projects to get involved with trail maintenance in his local community. Visit NorthJersey.com to read more and learn what it's like to spend a week "Giving Something Back" with Wilderness Volunteers.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Beginning with its creation in 1997, Wilderness Volunteers began to play a vital role in the stewardship of America’s wilderness lands. This is nowhere more apparent than in Olympic National Park where, under the inspired leadership of John Sherman and Debbie Northcutt, Wilderness Volunteers began “to give something back”. The beauty and wild character of the Olympic Wilderness attracts many visitors, resulting in the trampling of fragile vegetation and erosion of life-giving soils, especially adjacent to wilderness camp areas where expansive areas of bare ground can develop. Camp area rehabilitation and revegetation with native plants has been a successful action used at Olympic to restore the wilderness resource as well as the wilderness experience for visitors. Wilderness Volunteers, since its inception, has been critical in this effort.

Ruth Scott

The first field season following its founding, Wilderness Volunteers began a revegetation project in Olympic’s high country at Hoh Lake with John Sherman directing the efforts of the crew together with me in my role as the park’s wilderness specialist. The excellent work of the volunteers continued annually: in subalpine areas at Royal Basin, Seven Lakes, Hurricane Ridge, Upper Lena and Lake Angeles, in lowland forests on the East Fork Quinault River and Boulder Creek, and on the coast for the largest of the wilderness revegetation projects – a four year venture at Norwegian Memorial. Most of these projects could not have been completed without the many dozens of Wilderness Volunteers that contributed over 5700 hours of labor, scarifying acres of compacted soil and planting tens of thousands of native plants. The outstanding guidance of leaders Gayle Marechal and Ed Hill on many of these trips enhanced the experience for volunteers and provided a dedication and continuity that made work with the organization one of the highlights of the year for Olympic National Park staff. The experience and commitment of returning volunteers such as Susan Meyer, a seven year veteran, have proven to be an especially valuable asset.

The stewardship relationship between Wilderness Volunteers and Olympic National Park will continue, ensuring that together our precious inheritance of wilderness is passed on unimpaired to the generations that follow.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Our friends, the Great Old Broads for Wilderness have a terrific online auction that's live now! The "broads" have over 300 unbelievable deals on outdoor adventures, art, books, services, footwear, outdoor gear...and much, much more. And the best part is, all proceeds go to this great organization working to preserve and protect our wild lands for future generations.Bidding ends this Sunday evening, November 11th, so make sure to visit the Wild for Wilderness online auction soon. It will certainly get you in the mood for the Wilderness Volunteers online auction, coming this March.

Our Mission is stewardship of America's wild lands through organizing and promoting volunteer service in cooperation with public land agencies including the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wilderness Volunteers is proud to be supported by a Matching Grant from the National Forest Foundation. Founded by Congress in 1991, The National Forest Foundation works to conserve, restore and enhance America's 193-million-acre National Forest System. Through community-based strategies and public partnerships, the NFF helps enhance wildlife habitat, revitalizes wildfire-damaged landscapes, restores watersheds, and improves recreational resources for the benefit of all Americans.